George Vincent "Gigi" Kenneally, Sr (April 12, 1902 – September 3, 1968) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

for the

Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Founded in 1920, they played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 they relocated to Bos ...

, the Boston Bulldogs, the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ...

, the Boston Braves, and the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

. He attended

St. Bonaventure University St. Bonaventure University is a private Franciscan university in St. Bonaventure, New York. It has 2,381 undergraduate and graduate students. The Franciscan Brothers established the university in 1858. In athletics, the St. Bonaventure Bonn ...

Early life

Kenneally began his athletic career at Boston Latin High School where he played varsity

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, Kick (football), kicking a Football (ball), ball to score a Goal (sport), goal. Unqualified, Football (word), the word ''football'' normally means the form of football tha ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

, and held the city record for the fifty-yard

dash The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

. Upon graduating in 1919 he joined a group of local youths who were forming a semi-pro football team to play out of the local Knights of Columbus. He then followed his older brother and enrolled at

St. Bonaventure Bonaventure ( ; it, Bonaventura ; la, Bonaventura de Balneoregio; 1221 – 15 July 1274), born Giovanni di Fidanza, was an Italian Catholic Franciscan, bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister Ge ...

, where in 1922, he began his collegiate career. During his four years there he was given sixteen

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. Description ...

s, including ones for

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

, as well as being the captain of the football team.

Professional career

Pottsville Maroons/Boston Bulldogs

Kenneally joined the NFL in 1926 with the

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of th ...

. After his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season, he was chosen as the team's captain and was also named to his first

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...

Squad in 1927, as well as in 1928. At the close of the 1928 season the team succumbed to financial difficulties and was no longer solvent. He, along with his partner, then decided to purchase the Maroons franchise for $2,500. Kenneally then transferred the team to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- m ...

where they became the Boston Bulldogs. Kenneally had many positions in the franchise; that of part owner, assistant Coach, team captain and offensive end. The Bulldogs were a competitive team and would finish the season at 4-4, but the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

caused the team to fold.

Chicago Cardinals

Kenneally was back in the NFL in 1930, playing for the

. This season would prove to be one of his best in the league as he helped guide the struggling franchise to a 5-6 record, but also his only season for Chicago. The highlight of the season was an indoor exhibition game played at

Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1929, closed in 1994 and was demolished in 1995. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. ...

between the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and Cardinals with the proceeds aiding unemployment relief funds.

Boston University

In 1931, Kenneally accepted a coaching position at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

. He also utilized this sabbatical year by unsuccessfully trying to generate funds to restart his Bulldog franchise. He would lead the Marquette's to an undefeated season with a schedule that consisted of two professional opponents. They outscored their opponents that season 236 to 9.

Boston Braves

In 1932, Kenneally returned to Boston to play/coach for

George Preston Marshall George Preston Marshall (October 11, 1896 – August 9, 1969) was an American businessman best known for founding the Washington Commanders, an American football franchise belonging to the National Football League (NFL). He founded the team as ...

's Boston Braves. He played for the Braves for only one season as an offensive end and an assistant coach.

Philadelphia Eagles

In 1933, Kenneally left Boston with Lud Wray to play for and assist with the newly formed

franchise. For the next three seasons, he would anchor the Eagles line, serve as the team's captain and assistant coach, and was again selected All-Pro during the 1934 season. He retired at the end of the 1935 season.

After football

Boston Shamrocks

Kenneally was offered the position of

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other Coach (sport), coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manage ...

and General Manager of the Boston Shamrocks of the newly formed

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

. The Shamrocks would play a 19-game schedule which resulted in them capturing the league title as AFL champions for the 1936 season. However, the AFL was financially unstable and was soon forced to cease operations. The Shamrocks would continue to operate as an independent until 1938.

Later years

In 1939, Kenneally accepted the position of athletic director, head coach, and history teacher at Revere High School. In 1950, he left the Revere athletic program in a vastly improved state and became the line coach at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pr ...

for four years. He then returned to his old job as head of the Social Studies department at Revere, the position he would hold until his death. Kenneally died on September 3, 1968. He was survived by his five children, including state legislator George V. Kenneally Jr.

Legacy

*In the 1950s, ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his w ...

'' published an article entitled "George Kenneally the toughest two-way end to ever play for the Philadelphia Eagles." *In 1951, he was elected to the New England Sports Hall of Fame as a charter member. *In 1970, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. *In 1973, he was inducted into the Brandeis University Hall of Fame *In 1976, he was inducted into the Saint Bonaventure Hall Of Fame. *In 1990, he was inducted into the Massachusetts High School Coaches Hall of Fame and the South Boston Hall of Fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenneally, Gus 1902 births 1968 deaths American football offensive linemen Boston Braves (NFL) players Boston Bulldogs (NFL) players Boston University Terriers football coaches Brandeis Judges football coaches Chicago Cardinals players High school football coaches in Massachusetts National Football League owners People from South Boston Pottsville Maroons players Philadelphia Eagles coaches Philadelphia Eagles players St. Bonaventure Brown Indians football players Players of American football from Boston